Snake in the Grass
by fatchineseboy
Summary: It's beauty and the beast with a Japanese twist. Based on a Japanese myth. R and R please!ONESHOT.


DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA

Snake in the Grass

It was a tranquil summer evening and the crimson setting sun was drifted over the horizon. Deep down below, in a large ruined fortress, a small boy looked into the sky. Once, he had looked upon this sky with great awe and admiration, wondering what he was going to be doing with his life. But now, he was an emotionless warrior, serving under the rule of a tyrant who absorbed the very happiness of the soil.

The boy yawned as a single thought brushed his mind. _Sango _His memories were completely bleak and he remembered nothing about his former life. _Sango _But wait, there was something about a girl, that seemed to be calling out to him. The boy grimaced. He knew that these memories were useless things, as when his master periodically inspected his mind, he would immediately erase them.

The boy shook his head as memories began to flood back. Some were tranquil and happy, while others were dark and grim. But, to his surprise, he remembered a name: Kohaku. Was this his name? The boy tried it on his parched tongue and found it to his liking. His name was Kohaku.

As the memories began to reappear, Kohaku winced in pain as he experienced the painful flashback of his first mission. Tears began to cascade down the young demon slayer's cheeks. He had to make the pain end. But how? Kohaku knew an answer. _Naraku_

Naraku would always help Kohaku if he experienced pain like this; Naraku was the one that would end these horrible memories. Then, when the memories were cleared, Kohaku would be asleep again, only to wake up when the memories reappeared, in which he would return to Naraku to get them erased. Such was the life of a puppet.

Kohaku looked at the setting sun. He quickly realized that he would have to rush back to Naraku's manse (wherever it was, he never knew. It was like an instinct to go there, almost like someone had shot that into his brain) before the demons came out. Kohaku readied his kusari-gama and hoped he wouldn't have to use it this night. The previous night, he had narrowly escaped being eaten by a large frog-demon. He didn't want to be attacked again.

Kohaku quickly scurried up a tree in the twilit moonlight. He then agilely leapt from branch to branch, as he heard rustling in the brush below him. Demons had caught his scent, they were after him.

Kohaku then drew his kusari-gama and twirled it in circles, hoping the demons would back off, in fear of being cut. But that was a mistake, as Kohaku saw a gigantic centipede lurch out at him, severing the branch into splinters. The centipede lunged at him, but Kohaku easily jumped to another branch, as the centipede bit into thin air.

Kohaku gritted his teeth and drew his kusari-gama and flung it head on at the centipede. There was a sickening squelch and the centipede hissed at Kohaku threateningly.

"Bastard," it growled slowly. "Damn you,"

With those final words, the centipede imploded, from a result of the shikon shard in Kohaku's neck, which powered up the Kusari-gama. Kohaku smiled blankly, satisfied at the job he had finished. This was natural to him. The boy then headed back towards Naraku's manse. But, as he was running, a single memory slipped into his head.

_It had been a glorious morning in the demon slayers village. The sun was shining, casting its rays upon all that dwelled below. People in the blacksmiths were hammering away their weapons, grooming them to perfection, while farmers and their families toiled their labors in the wet and muddy rice fields, sweat incrusted on their muddy faces. _

_Over by the headman's hut Kohaku shivered as he threw his Kusari-gama over the piles of wood be had arranged as a target. As expected, the wood was neatly chopped into even pieces, mere dirt-work for a trained demon slayer such as Kohaku. Still, something was bothering him. The boy heard a small mew behind him. He screamed and dropped his Kusari-gama. It was a demon and it was inside the demon slayer's village!_

_A small very cute cat that was yellow and had two tails with piercing red eyes looked at Kohaku affectionately. It mewed gently and nuzzled Kohaku affectionately. _

_"Oh, it's just you Kirara," muttered Kohaku absent mindedly as he scratched the little youkai's ears._

_The little cat mewed softly as it curled up into a ball on Kohaku's lap. The young demon slayer sighed. It was a nerve-wracking experience to be a demon slayer, one of the few that had never gone on a mission before. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. Kohaku spun around in surprise, but just saw his older sister, Sango staring at him, amusement in her eyes._

_"You missed your morning chores again," she said skeptically, with mock annoyance. _

_"I-er," began Kohaku._

_Sango laughed and playfully punched her brother. The two of them were unusually close, even for a brother and sister. Sibling rivalry was practically nonexistent between the two of them. The older demon slayer than seated herself beside her brother, gently putting the basket of clothes she had been carrying down. Kohaku looked at her and said nothing, in a sort of grim mortician kind of way. Sango looked at him, perplexed. _

_"Hey, Kohaku; what's the matter? You're usually not like this," asked Sango, concerned._

_Kohaku said nothing._

_"Come on, tell me. I won't laugh," said Sango._

_Kohaku said nothing again and Sango sighed._

_"Is it about that girl Nanko again? Because let me tell you, she thinks that you're kinda-''_

_"It's not that," said Kohaku, interrupting Sango. "It's just, that, I'm scared."_

_"Scared of what?" asked Sango. _

_"Youkai in general. I mean, Takai didn't come back and we found his hatchet embedded in a tree! What about Yoshimitsu, or Teraku Or mom?" Kohaku began to start panting in fear._

_"Calm down. Yoshimitsu and Teraku died ten years ago and Takai became a lumberjack, because he was tired with the life of a slayer. As for mother, we all know what happened. Besides, not all demons are bad," said Sango._

_"B-but, they eat humans!" said Kohaku, terror in his voice._

_"Indeed they do, but we eat boars and fish, so why can't demons eat things as well?" asked Sango._

_"So, we're to just let the demons eat us?" asked Kohaku._

_Sango shook her head again._

_"Before we kill boars, they defend themselves, right? That's what we demon slayers do. We're like a boar's tusks, or a salmon's ability to evade. We're the ones that stand between an easy kill for a demon," said Sango._

_"B-but, demons will be relentless and will kill n-no matter what! Sango, I can't do this!" Kohaku then to shiver. Sango put a reassuring hand on Kohaku's shoulder. _

_"Kohaku, let me put your fears to rest. I'm going to tell you a story," said Sango._

_"A story?" asked Kohaku, slightly bewildered._

_"Yes, a story," said Sango. "It's a true story about a young boy named Hiroto, who was also scared of demons, just like you."_

_"A true story?" asked Kohaku. He knew his sister used to put him on about things just so she could get her way. "I doubt it." _

_"Come on, Kohaku, just listen. I'm sure it'll be the antidote to your fears," said Sango, putting a reassuring hand on Kohaku's shoulder._

_"Fine, I'll listen," said Kohaku grudgingly. The boy sighed; Sango had a way of always getting her way._

_Sango then moved away from Kohaku and sat cross legged. She beckoned for Kohaku, her listener to do so as well._

_"Okay, once upon a time…"_

In the Feudal Era in Japan, near modern day Tokyo there lived a large snake demon. She was renowned for her fearsome ruthlessness in devouring children who wandered away from home. This youkai was known as Kyoko, for that was her name in her former life as a human.

The girl was born near the end of the Bunroku era in Japan and had blossomed into an extremely attractive girl at the beginning of the Keicho era (1596). Her beauty was renown, as she was considered the most beautiful woman in the entire Musashi province, which was the largest province in all of Japan at the time.

Kyoko lived a wealthy life in the city of Senju and was always surrounded by bachelors who wanted her hand in marriage. The outcome of this was extremely simple. She always would just simply turn her head and they would leave, unsuccessful in their attempts. However, there was a one bachelor that was in deep love with her and did not give up when she rejected suitors. His name was Yachiro.

Yachiro wasn't extremely attractive, nor did he do any extraordinary deeds. The man was just the son of a rice picker, while Kyoko was the daughter of a lord. However, this man was as kind as the sunlight rays and sent Kyoko many love letters, thrusting his heart into her arms.

However, Kyoko (being the daughter of a lord) rejected Yachiro's every letter and mocked him on the streets. The poor man died of a broken heart, while Kyoko married a wealthy lord, who she had immediately fallen in love with not for his looks, but for his massive fortune.

But, on the morn of the wedding, disaster struck, when the couple didn't emerge from the room of which they were married. The mother of the Kyoko panicked as she entered the marriage room. To her surprise and disgust, she found both the bride and groom dead, a snake was protruding out of one of the brides' eyes and both were killed by a snake wound. The serpent was then slain, before it could harm anyone else.

The snake was believed to be the heart-broken Yachiro, whose mind had become insane with grief and had killed Kyoko in a final attempt to bring her with him to the netherworld. This legend was passed on throughout all of Japan and thus the snake became a symbol of love that had no boundaries and also vengeance.

However, an untold legend is what exactly happened to Kyoko. The girl, in reason of her prejudice was denied passage to the next world. As a result, she was forced back into the world. At the time her spirit returned to her body, it was her funeral, with the coffin wide open and her relatives burning the ceremonial incense.

At first, her reawakening was brought with much joy and she was embraced. But then, something happened that drove all of the villagers away. The beautiful girl began to transform. Her teeth became bared and her arms fused to her sides, while her body elongated. Kyoko's skin was covered in large, golden plates and her tongue became forked, as though a piercing knife had cut it. The only thing that remained was her humanoid face and her long, flowing jet-black hair. The gods had decided that Kyoko's punishment was to live the life of a rejected one, as Yachiro did. Unloved and hated.

The villagers looked horrified at this sudden disturbing transformation and they banished the creature, formerly known as Kyoko, out from the village. It was her own family that had decided this. She then roamed as a local youkai, infested with grief and despair. Kyoko took out this anger by attacking local villages and eating wandering travelers.

Soon, this snake became renowned as a fearsome killer and many demons decided to test her strength. Time and time again, they failed and were devoured by her. This continued until Kyoko was discovered to be the strongest demon in the Musashi province. It was then, that demons began to fall in service to her.

The snake quickly became a self-proclaimed ruler of the Musashi province's demons and filled the province with a fear of going out into the woods. Trade routes stopped systematically as the caravans were devoured. But one thing was certain; Kyoko's raging spirit could not be tamed.

_Kohaku squinted his eyes at Sango._

_"I've heard the legend before," he muttered. "But the whole snake governing think is kinda far-fetched. You're not putting me on, are you Sango?" _

_"Just bear with me Kohaku, all of it is true; whether it's recorded or not," said Sango gently._

_"But what's the point of this story anyways? You said that there was a boy-'_

"_with a fear of demons," interrupted Sango. "Now, if you'll just let me finish the story, you can find out about Hiroto."_

_Kohaku sighed. Hearing about a snake demon that massacred villages only made him feel even worse. He shivered, imagining the appearance of it. _

"_Well, it was Hiroto's family funeral…."_

It was a dark sunset in the demon slayer's village, even darker still, for the funeral that was occurring inside. The incense candles burned softly as the funeral procession began to walk slowly forward, with the corpse in hand. Far away, a young boy, only about 9 years old looked at the scene, tears flowing out of his eyes. He looked up at his father, who was gripping his hand tightly.

"Father, where's mother?" he asked, timidly.

"She's in a better world now," muttered the boy's father grimly as he wiped his tears away.

"So, she's still alive?" asked the boy, his excitement rising.

"In essence, Hiroto, in essence," said the boy's father, wishing not to be the bearer of bad news.

"Yeah," said Hiroto absent mindedly. This was the same answer his father would always give him, but he knew the truth. His mother was not coming back.

Hiroto was smarter than most would expect him to believe and he had seen his mother's death coming for many weeks. For such long hours had she been bedridden, without saying anything. Her forehead had been very warm, but she said that she had felt extremely cold. However, there had been no cure for this disease and she slowly shriveled up and was found dead three days earlier. Hiroto had not been allowed to see the corpse, but he had known how this had happened.

His mother had been part of a tactical demon slayer's squad, as she was one of the few women that did these acts of courage and bravery. Hiroto had heard tales of her exploits and how she seemed to have no age, her ability never faltering, only maturing. However, one day, she came back, her whole squad massacred and her body bleeding. It was then, that she entered the sleep she would never wake up from. From that grim day on, Hiroto had a large fear of demons. Would this fate befall him as well?

Hiroto could clearly remember his mother's face. She had been extremely beautiful, but her face was never pure as it was either covered in scrapes or bruises from her escapades. The woman had a tomboyish like attitude and had been very close to her son, as he had remembered working in the rice fields, with her. It was she who had given him his first top and she who had treated him with much kindness until her death.

Hiroto then broke down at the funeral and burst into tears as he saw his mother's corpse burning. The boy then tried to dash over to his mother's side, but was restrained by his father.

"Let it go," he said to the boy, who was welling up tears.

It had been two years since that day. Hiroto was now a young boy, who rarely talked or smiled. Working in the rice fields was hard work, but it kept him away from the youkai he feared so much. Hiroto looked up to the sky and saw cherry blossoms from a magnolia tree begin to bloom. It was early spring, and Hiroto's eleventh birthday was nearing.

Normally, this would be greeted with joy, but for the past two years, Hiroto's birthdays had just been countdowns to this fateful one. It was known in the demon slayer's village, that every child within the village would get their first katana at the age of eleven.

This was every child's dream except Hiroto. The poor young boy, was not only paranoid of demons, but physically, he was extraordinarily weak. The poor child couldn't even lift a single jitte, let alone a katana. Hence, the profession of a demon slayer was too much for the boy to handle.

However, time itself kept on moving, and soon it was Hiroto's birthday. This usual happy time, was now an extremely solemn occasion. Hiroto knew what was coming. As he heard his father's footsteps down the cedar hallway, he quickly gulped and prepared for his gift.

He knew what it was, and what it was going to be. It was a simple katana, single edged and easy to carry and wield for any soldier. It was the demon slayer's staple weapon, and was one that any novice used before they constructed their own. As Hiroto's eyes looked at the sword in its shimmering sheath, his father gazed at him sternly.

"I expect you to be up bright and early, training is going to start tomorrow," he said, in a solemn, serious tone.

"But, what about the rice fields?" asked Hiroto, desperately trying to find a way out of his predicament.

"They will be tended by other villagers. Besides, you are a demon slayer. Wear the katana with pride," said Hiroto's father as he rustled into a closet.

Hiroto looked at the blade uncertainly and pushed it away.

"I, just can't do this. Sorry father, but this isn't what I want to do," said Hiroto quietly.

It was an almost mechanical turn that Hiroto's father, Gosuke, did as he faced his unwilling son. All of the blood rushed to Gosuke's face as he yelled out words at the poor, innocent and naïve boy.

"You, must do this," said Gosuke. "We've served the daimyou for many years in the age! Why shouldn't you?"

"I just don't want to do it, you can't force this upon me father!" said Hiroto, rage bordering his voice.

"Your mother would have wanted it," said Gosuke in an undertone.

Hiroto immediately silenced, fond memories of his mother flowing back into his mind.

"You see that katana of yours? That's your mother's! Do you want to disgrace her name, boy?" Gosuke paused and glared at Hiroto, who was cowering on the ground. "That's my point exactly! Katana practice is in the morning at sunrise, near Priestess Midoriko's cave."

For the remainder of the day, Gosuke said nothing to Hiroto. Their meals were silent and Hiroto felt like a prisoner within his own house.

The next morning came far too quickly and Hiroto groggily awakened to a relaxing sight. Luckily for Hiroto, the sun was not going to rise for another hour. Hiroto yawned and stretched, leaving the door for breakfast. As he was about to leave however, he was reminded of his angry father, the night before. The young boy then dashed over to pick up his katana. As he lifted it, he felt all of the muscles in his body twinge. It was extremely heavy.

With much difficulty, Hiroto managed to lift the sword and sheath and latched them onto his hakama (traditional Japanese Pants). He then staggered into the kitchen and saw a small uniform on the table. It was a complete body suit that had armor at certain locations. Attached to it, was a mask and a vial of poison. Along with this armed uniform, came a note, instructing to put the uniform on.

Hiroto struggled with this, but realized that it fit him, as did the mask that he latched over his mouth. The katana fit perfectly onto the sash around his waist and he attached the vial of poison to the sash, due to a convenient link. He then looked at the leftover rice from the previous night and took out a small pot. Being only eleven, Hiroto was an accomplished cook and could make an average dish now and then. Breakfast usually consisted of congee (rice gruel), so that's what he prepared.

After the simple meal, Hiroto quickly dashed off towards the cave. He didn't know exactly what was in the cave, nor did he know about the legend of the Shikon no Tama, but he did know that there was a seemingly calm spiritual energy around the cave, like a mother's embrace.

As he walked near the opening, he saw Gosuke sitting cross legged, his double axes lying by his side.

"You're late. The sun rose a minute ago," said Gosuke flatly.

Hiroto grimaced, this usually meant punishment was in store for him. He closed his eyes as he prepared for the usual beating. However, this time, the usual hitting never came. Instead, Gosuke merely reached down and removed the mask from Hiroto's mouth.

"You won't be needing that where you're about to go," said Gosuke. "I want you to venture into the forest and get me some Ginseng root."

"But, that might take all day, or more!" protested Hiroto. Ginseng was extremely hard to find, being a root and all.

"I don't give a damn how long it takes. Take a week if you really need to, the less I see of you, the better," said Gosuke flatly. Inside, of Hiroto's chest, his heart seemed to stop beating. As this awkward silence passed by, Gosuke squinted his old eyes at Hiroto. "What are you waiting for? Get going," with that motion, Gosuke shoved the mask back onto Hiroto's face, which latched on painfully.

With those final words, Hiroto stumbled off into the forest, tears staining his eyes and blinding him from what he was doing. He stumbled downward, into the center of the forest, until he came to a cave. Hiroto shakily opened his eyes and looked around. He could see nothing of any familiar surroundings. Suddenly, he heard a dull hissing noise and heard low voices.

"I smell something," said one, it sounded male and slippery, as the words seemed to be slipping and slurred together.

"Is it human?" asked another male voice, which let out small croaks.

"Yes, I believe that she would desire it. After all, she loves children's bones," said the voice of the first male.

Hiroto flinched. These were obviously demons, who wanted to devour him. He slowly drew his katana, but dropped it because of its weight. Suddenly, he heard a noise from behind him and he scurried backwards, into the cave. He then heard a dull hissing noise and uncapped the youkai poison, hoping that it would deter whatever was coming.

However, it seemed that nature was against Hiroto and the wind blew the poison into the young boy's eyes, obscuring his vision and making his eyes all puffy and red. The last thing he heard was the slithering of scales and someone saying "Lady Aki no Hebi, we've found some prey."

_Kohaku looked frightened._

"_Sango, you're scaring me," he said, his voice cracking at certain points._

"_Don't worry, it gets better," said Sango gently. "Now where were we?"_

When Hiroto woke up, he found himself in a large cave. His eyes were still blurry, as they had been showered with the poisonous gas of the demon slayers, in his attempt to defend himself. The boy was very confused, was he even alive? The last thing he remembered was being attacked by demons. No one had been there. He had to be dead!

Outside the cave, a snake, with a long slender and seemingly golden body was conversing with a short, stubby toad demon and a nasty little fish demon that had gill-like ears and a sharp tongue.

"He was just wandering around. They call him Hiroto," said the toad demon.

"Where is he from?" asked the snake, her tongue almost tasting the flesh of the human.

"The demon slayer's village," said the fish demon.

The snake demon looked alarmed, small fear filling her human face.

"What? You bakas!" she yelled in disgust. "Did he come with reinforcements?" The snake was indeed irritated and had started to coil around the unfortunate toad and fish demons. As the pair was having the life squeezed out of them, the toad demon piped up in a squeaky voice.

"No, he just came alone, my lady," squeaked the toad demon.

The snake demon softened her grip on her two cohorts.

"Is that true?" she asked. "Well then, you are forgiven." A sly smile played on the human face of the snake, her inhumanity showing through her strikingly beautiful face.

"T-thank you, lady Kyoko!" said the fish and toad demon without thinking as they bowed before the great snake.

The demon's eyes then shot out with anger.

"What did you call me?" she demanded, her coils lashing out again. This time, the squeeze was even harder.

"Our apologies, lady Aki no-'' began the toad demon. But it was too late for the duo, as their spines were cracked by the sheer force of the snake's suffocating grasp.

"Don't ever call me that. Too many memories," muttered the snake as she made her way to devouring the corpses of her two lackeys. As finished, spitting out a bone, her body began to change shape. This was common with most demons, as the lowest toad could perform this. Poor Hiroto had no idea what was coming next.

Hiroto had got up from the bed he had been sleeping in. The boy had believed that he had entered the next world, his vision blurry. Suddenly, he heard a voice calling his name.

"Hiroto," came the gentle voice. Hiroto immediately thought that this was his mother's voice and ran over to the sound of the voice. Through his blurry eyes, he could make out the shape of a beautiful woman, wearing a kimono that had cherry blossoms emblazoned upon it. Hiroto thrust himself into his "mother's" arms, not realizing that it was none other than the snake demon that called itself "Aki no Hebi", or autumn snake.

"Mother!" said Hiroto, as he thrust himself into the demon's outstretched hands.

The snake recoiled, not used to this feeling. Usually, her prey was not like this and they would approach her cautiously, but this boy was different and somewhat blind and oblivious to all of his surroundings. To think, that she, the great Aki no Hebi, ruler of Muashi province's mother was completely absurd. However, this boy had a certain child like innocence that prevented Aki no Hebi from killing him then and now. But, still, the snake kept her hopes up that she would be fed on human flesh tonight. Eating her servants was not exactly her idea of a good meal. Sure, they were expendable, but they tasted like congee, or rice gruel, something the snake had hated in her previous life as the maiden Kyoko.

"I was so worried that I would never see you again, but now," began Hiroto as he nuzzled his face into the demon's breasts. Aki no Hebi turned a shade of red.

Aki no Hebi sighed. Obviously the child was extremely naïve, to be treating his mother like this, but perhaps they had had an extremely close relationship. Such things the snake needed to know if she was to portray Hiroto's mother correctly.  
"Darling Hiroto," began Aki no Hebi in the most feminine voice she could muster. Hell, she was trying as hard as she could. "I was watching you from heaven, but to see you here brings joy to my heart."

"Wow, your voice has changed! It's higher than it used to be!" said Hiroto happily as the demon swore under her breath.

"How did you come here?" asked Aki no Hebi, still in that tone. If she broke character, the whole charade would be over and her true colours would be revealed.

"I, was killed by demons, when I was gathering ginseng for father," said Hiroto slowly. Father's a different person ever since you died. He's more aggressive and stern, and he beats me now.

Aki no Hebi groaned in her head. The last thing she needed was a sappy story to deter her from her meal. She liked it better when her prey didn't talk. Usually, it was just that the prey would wake up, look around and see Aki no Hebi in her disguise. Then, the snake would eat them. But, no matter how Aki no Hebi tried in this scenario, Hiroto just seemed to detain his death as long as possible.

"Demons you say?" asked Aki no Hebi. She was getting wary of this guise and was ready to strike. As the snake inside her readied to rear back and devour Hiroto, she suddenly felt the searing pain of acid in her lungs. A spasm if you will. The demon fell onto the ground and began to choke, realizing that Hiroto had sprayed the demon poison all over her cave, when he had been blinded. She needed to escape, but she desperately wanted a meal and the pain was but a minor deterrence to her.

"What's wrong mother?" asked Hiroto, in dumb struck horror.

"I can't breathe," said Aki no Hebi. For once, she was telling the truth. "Come here, come closer, so I can see your face, for the last time" If the snake was going to die, she would at least have something in her belly to take with her to hell.

"Heavens above, we're nothing but specters that remain in the land of the living," said Hiroto, still under the impression that he was dead. To the boy, seeing the thing he thought was his mother die again was too much for him to bear. This time, he was ready.

"Don't speak like that, you're going to live. I'll go and get some water," said Hiroto as he dashed off, hearing the sound of a nearby ravine.

Aki no Hebi slowly rose to her feet and sat herself on the bed that she would always use when she was posing as a human. This meal was not going according to plan. Aki no Hebi sighed as she lay down. This was proving very difficult.

Moments later, Hiroto came back, carrying a bamboo shoot that he had crafted into a cup. The boy was extremely good with his hands, and was a very good whittler. It seemed that all of the passive things he had done back in the demon slayer's village that were proclaimed useless were actually coming to some use.

"Here, drink this," said Hiroto as he handed Aki no Hebi the cup, which was filled with spring water.

Aki no Hebi managed to bring the spring water up to her lips and she drank it. She hadn't drunk spring water in the longest time, as snakes had difficulty doing so without drowning. The snake found herself slightly relieved and almost found herself thanking Hiroto. But, she stopped in mid-sentence. In dull struck horror, she found herself becoming attached to this boy.

That night, Hiroto, created a fire with small tinder's he had found and was cooking rice gruel, which he insisted was good for the demon he thought was his mother. After all, rice gruel had been his mother's favourite food. As he brought the bowl up to the bedridden demon's throat.

"Here, drink it. It's good for you," he said as he placed it next to her.

"No, thank you," said Aki no Hebi through heavy breaths. Why was this boy catering to her every need? Did he honestly believe that she was his mother?

"But, you always loved the rice gruel I used to make," began Hiroto, sadness creeping into his voice.

"Er..yeah, I did," said Aki no Hebi, lying through her fangs as she sipped the rice gruel. She had only tried this once before and had instantly disliked the bland taste. Trying it again, was like living through the winter blahs.

Somewhere miles away, deeper into the forest, there was a small gathering in an abandoned shrine to Buddha. Every single one of Aki no Hebi's vassals was there.

"So she's bedridden?" asked a snickering Kitsune.

"Yes, she's extremely weak at this moment, due to her prey's little poison. We can reclaim the Musashi province as ours!" said a weasel with a growl.

"Then the answer is simple: We strike at dawn," said the Kitsune.

This was greeted to massive cheers. Aki no Hebi would be dead by the dawn and then, the demons would be able to be free again.

When it neared sunset, Aki no Hebi was feeling even worse. Her lungs had seemed to be holding up, being as she was an extremely physically strong demon. She had to strike soon and rid herself of Hiroto, so she could escape this cave and at least live to see another summer. As she rolled over, she heard Hiroto's happy and cheerful voice.

"Mother, do you remember the times?" he asked, a smile playing on his happy little face.

"What times?" asked Aki no Hebi, in the usual gentle voice she used with Hiroto.

"Those times when I was sick and you would tell me these stories," said Hiroto. "Well, I remember your favourite one, it was about a princess named Kyoko."

This reacted with an unfortunate pang in the heart of Aki no Hebi. Her life had become a legend? Hiroto began to intrigue her.

"Yes, but my memory is really faint, do you mind reminding me?" said Aki no Hebi with a small smirk on her face.

"Well, it's about a princess named Kyoko, who was supposed to be the most beautiful girl in the Musashi province. There was a man, named Yachiro that fell in love with her, but she refused his tokens of affection and married a richer man. Yachiro died of a broken heart, while Kyoko got married. But she never was seen alive again. Later, she and her husband were found dead, a snake protruding out of Kyoko's eye. The snake was believed to be Yachiro. You always used to say that this was a good lesson in love and in life. No one should simply shun someone because of their wealth, they should hear them out at least," said Hiroto.

To Aki no Hebi's surprise, she found that a single tear had begun to form in her eye. She quickly wiped it away as Hiroto began telling the story in a detailed manor. Aki no Hebi listened intently, giving nostalgia about her former life.

Soon, it was midnight and Hiroto was fast asleep. Aki no Hebi finally rose up from her bed. It was now or never. She quickly burst out of her human disguise, revealing a golden serpent with the head and hair of the ill-fated princess Kyoko. The snake smiled with her serpentine fangs and called Hiroto's name. She loved seeing her victim's expressions before they were slain.

The poison's effect on Hiroto's eyes had now ended. He was relieved, as his eyes had been burning for all of the day. When the boy heard his mother's voice, he turned over and screamed at the serpent he saw. It was a demon, the very thing that he feared and it was already all coiled around him. If he even moved, he would probably get strangled.

The demon slayer then realized that he had been deceived. The tears began to flow out of his eyes as he attempted to draw his katana to defend himself.

"How could you?" he demanded, tears flowing out of his eyes.

"How could I what?" hissed Aki no Hebi. She was thoroughly enjoying this.

"How could you impersonate my mother? Of the all the disguises you had, why did you pose as my mother?" demanded Hiroto, tears flowing out of his eyes.

"We demons enjoy a good meal as well as you humans. There's nothing more to it, but style. Besides, you stalled your death long enough already. I like it when my prey doesn't talk," said Aki no Hebi, the coils closing in.

Hiroto tried to raise his katana in an attempt to try to cut through the snake. To surprise, he raised it with ease, but then, in a moment of desperation, he put down the katana and looked up at Aki no Hebi's face, which was drooling in anticipation for the kill.

"What are waiting for? Stab me!" said the snake angrily as she noticed the katana. "I'd hate for you to die defenselessly.

"I can't," said Hiroto quietly.

"Why?" demanded the snake. She was getting angry.

"Because, though I know that you're not my mother, you bear the same face as her. Whatever demon you are, I have no idea, but I do know that you seemed to act very convincingly when you played the part of my mother. I can't hurt anything with my mother's face. Do what you must, I'm fully ready to die," said Hiroto, as he dropped his katana and outstretched his arms.

Aki no Hebi trembled, human emotions and reasoning waking up inside her serpentine like body. A part of her still desired a meal, but another part of her felt the love that Hiroto had given for her. Slowly, the coils began to grow softer, drift farther apart, until they weren't around Hiroto anymore. The boy looked up stunned and Aki no Hebi's face.

"Why?" he asked.

"Damn you humans and your sensitivity," muttered the female snake. "No matter how I try, I can't bring myself to kill you damnit," she said with a low hiss as she closed her eyes. The poison was getting to her. "Just go, and leave me to my suffering."

"No," said Hiroto firmly. "I'm not leaving you here."

"Why the hell would you spare a demon who tried to kill you? You're naïve Hiroto, and that's a folly. The smart person would just leave me here, no more harmful than a simple garden snake," spat Aki no Hebi.

"Because, it's only fair; you spared me," said Hiroto with a small little smile. "Deep inside that demon body of yours is a human heart. I know that no demon would ever spare anyone, unless they were forced to."

The snake smiled, her features losing all of there ferocity.

"So you've figured it out little one. Then, I suppose you deserve to hear everything. I was princess Kyoko in my previous life, the most beautiful girl in the Musashi province. When I rejected Yachiro's love, I lost all human emotion and when his spirit came back to kill me. Then, I was resurrected by the snake-god Orochi, who cast me into this form, so I could experience a life without love, a life I had given Yachiro. But I had power and I ruled the Musashi province's demons, killing children every now and then, unloved and unwanted. But then came you," said Aki no Hebi with a small smile. Her voice was fading.

Hiroto looked up. He had rested his body near the body of Aki no Hebi, his back lying on soft scales.

"That was unfair. You didn't even have a second chance," he muttered.

"There was no turning back, and if only I had accepted Yachiro for the person he was, not his wealth, then this would never have happened," A tear flowed out of Aki no Hebi's eyes.

There was a long silence. The sun had not begun to rise yet.

"Your mother, was she kind to you?" asked Aki no Hebi.

"Yeah, but you did a really good job, as though it was natural emotion, not lies," said Hiroto with a smile. The boy closed his eyes, as he was very sleepy.

The snake looked at his sleeping figure and slowly wound her body around it, forming a makeshift bed. Both fell asleep at that moment, unaware of what would happen at dawn.

When dawn came, both were awakened, greeting the morning dawn. Hiroto bowed his head to Aki no Hebi.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Kyoko," he said.

For once, Aki no Hebi did not even dislike the use of her previous name.

"You're very welcome, and I'm sorry about your mother," said the snake. She was growing a fond spot for the boy.

"I'll try to visit you often," said Hiroto.

"I wouldn't plan on it," said a growl.

Hiroto turned and saw a horde of assorted youkai. They looked like they were Aki no Hebi's followers.

"What do want Kimhiro?" asked Aki no Hebi, hostility trimming her voice.

"We're going to retake the Musashi province," said a kitsune.

"I have no more power over you, you can be free now," said Aki no Hebi.

"No, we also want the boy. You've grown soft for him, haven't you?" asked a weasel.

"You're not getting him," snarled Aki no Hebi.

"Then we'll take him from you!" yelled the kitsune, blasting Aki no Hebi with blue flames.

Hiroto looked in horror as he saw the flames enter Aki no Hebi's chest. She grimaced, but repelled it. The poison from Hiroto hadn't worn off yet. A wave of arrows came and the snake crumpled to the ground.

"Kyoko!" said Hiroto in horror as he leapt over her body.

"Run, and get back to your village," said Aki no Hebi, her body bleeding. "I don't want to have your death on my consciousness when I'm in hell."

"I'm not leaving you, not after the kindness you've showed me!" with that action, Hiroto did the unconceivable. He leapt over Aki no Hebi's body and drew his katana, it seemed to come out with ease.

"I-impossible! He couldn't even lift it before!" yelled a demon.

"Ignore that! He's just a child, not a worthy threat," said the kitsune as he breathed out the heavy flames of fox magic.

Hiroto looked at the flames and closed his eyes. He seemed to vanish. Then, there was a flash and the kitsune was dead. Hiroto breathed heavily, and stared at the katana. He had mastered it!

The demons, seeing this skill, ran away and were never seen near the cave again. Hiroto rushed over to the bleeding body of Aki no Hebi.

"Hiroto? Can I ask you a favour?" she asked, her eyes flickering.

"You're not going to die! You're not!" yelled Hiroto, tears flowing out of his eyes.

"I am, and I'll be serving in Hell for a very long time," laughed Aki no Hebi.

"I'm not so sure about that," said Hiroto, through tears. "If anything, you would have made a really good mother."

The snake smiled.

"Would I have?"

"Yeah," said Hiroto with a grim smile.

"Well, you're a demon slayer, aren't you?" she asked.

"Uh….," began Hiroto. He had forgotten about this and his fear of demons throughout all of the battle. "Yes, I am."

"Then I have one request. Use my bones for your weapon, the one you need to craft," said Aki no Hebi. She turned towards the rising sun and muttered the words: "Yachiro…I'm sorry."

With that final word, the snake body evaporated, the flesh leaving it, revealing nothing but large bones. Through Hiroto's tear stained eyes, he thought he saw the figure of a very beautiful woman, wearing a pink kimono being reunited with an ordinary rice picker. The woman smiled at him and then vanished.

Hiroto then honoured Aki no Hebi's wishes and took the bones required for making the weapon back to the village, where he was warmly greeted by Gosuke, who apologized for his actions. Hiroto then went back to the cave and made a single grave stone, a makeshift one, reading: "Kyoko-Loving mother" He then left and became one of the most prominent demon slayers Japan had ever seen.

_Kohaku looked up at Sango who had just finished the tale. Tears were in his eyes._

_"That wasn't true, was it?" he asked, through sobs._

_"Yes, it was as true as the rain," said Sango._

_Kohaku got to his feet, and drew his Kusari-gama and smiled at Sango._

_"Thank you, sister," he said. "I guess there are scarier things then demons out there."_

_"Oh, there are. One of them being our dear father wondering why you haven't done your chores!"_

_With that, the two of them ran off, had in hand._

Kohaku looked up. The memory had just been extracted by Naraku and once more he was a puppet. He looked to the sky and muttered something under his breath: "Kyoko."

Meanwhile, in a deep forest, Inuyasha and company had landed near a cave. The hanyou was grumbling something about women and Miroku was meditating. Inside the cave, Sango was walking with Kagome.

"Why'd we land here anyways?" asked Kagome.

"There's something here, I'd like to see again," said Sango as she walked into the cave.

As the two girls walked further, they saw a grave, a very sloppily carved one, but still a grave. It read: Kyoko-Loving mother. Kagome turned to Sango.

"Is this it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it brings back memories," said Sango with a smile.

"Memories?" asked Kagome.

"I once told Kohaku a story, using a person named Hiroto. It was actually me, not Hiroto who went on the little journey. If I had told it in first person, Kohaku wouldn't have believed me," laughed Sango.

"A story?" asked Kagome. "What was it about?"

Sango then recounted it, Kagome smiling at parts and looking reasurringly at Sango. The two girls then looked at the grave, Sango's eyes filling with tears.

"The bones I couldn't salvage, lie here now," she said. "Whenever I can, I bring flowers."

Kagome looked at Sango's hiratkotsu and gestured towards it, puzzled.

"You...mean that?" the high school girl began.

"Yes, her bones are in here. It's like she's with me through fights, guiding my every step. To think, that my first step in the life of an oni slayer was guided by a demon, it's almost laughable."

The two girls then had a moment of silence, Sango's head filling with fond memories of her foster demon mother. They then walked out of the cave, Sango dropping two flowers by the grave. As the two girls left the cave Inuyasha glared at them.

"What was in there that was so important to you?" he demanded.

"Nothing, but a snake in the grass," said Sango with a smile


End file.
